Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality

Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality examines the relationship between gender and Western classical music from the 16th century through modern times. McClary analyzes musical compositions and conventions through a feminist theoretical framework. The book explores how gender and sexuality manifest in musical elements like harmony, rhythm, and narrative structure. McClary investigates specific works by composers including Monteverdi, Bizet, Tchaikovsky, and Madonna, examining how their music reflects and shapes cultural attitudes about gender. The text moves between musicological analysis, cultural theory, and historical context to reveal the embedded social meanings in musical works and traditions. McClary's research spans multiple genres including opera, symphonic music, and popular music. This groundbreaking work challenges traditional musicology by bringing feminist criticism to bear on musical analysis, opening new paths for understanding how music participates in the construction of social identity. The book remains influential in discussions of music's role in representing and perpetuating cultural values.

Readers note McClary's direct engagement with feminist music criticism and her analysis of gender in classical and popular works. Many connect with her examinations of Madonna and the sexual politics in Carmen and other operas. Positive reviews emphasize: - Clear explanations of musical terminology for non-musicians - Detailed analysis backed by specific musical examples - Fresh perspectives on well-known compositions Common criticisms: - Dense academic language that can be difficult to follow - Some readers find the gender theory portions overreaching - Arguments occasionally described as repetitive Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (152 ratings) Amazon: 3.8/5 (11 ratings) Notable reader comments: "Transformed how I think about music and gender" - Goodreads reviewer "Important ideas but the writing is unnecessarily complex" - Amazon reviewer "Her Madonna analysis is brilliant but some classical interpretations feel forced" - Goodreads reviewer

Gender and the Musical Canon by Marcia J. Citron An examination of the systemic exclusion of women composers from the classical music repertoire and its historical implications.

Her Song: A History of Women in Christian Music by Nancy Yunhwa Rao A historical study tracing women's roles and contributions in sacred music from medieval times through contemporary Christian music.

Queering the Pitch: The New Gay and Lesbian Musicology by Philip Brett, Elizabeth Wood, and Gary C. Thomas A collection of essays exploring the intersection of music, sexuality, and gender identity in musical composition and performance.

Opera, or the Undoing of Women by Catherine Clément A critical analysis of how female characters in opera are consistently subjected to tragic fates and death as a reflection of cultural attitudes.

Noise: The Political Economy of Music by Jacques Attali A theoretical framework connecting music, power structures, and social organization through different historical periods.

🎵 Susan McClary's "Feminine Endings" (1991) was one of the first major works to introduce feminist criticism to musicology, causing significant controversy in academic music circles upon its release. 🎼 The book examines how gender and sexuality are encoded in classical music, analyzing works from Monteverdi's L'Orfeo to Madonna's pop hits. 🎹 The term "feminine ending" traditionally refers to a musical phrase that ends on a weak beat - McClary uses this technical term as a metaphor for how female characteristics have been represented in Western music. 🎭 McClary's analysis of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, in which she compared the recapitulation to an act of sexual violence, sparked heated debates and became one of the most discussed passages in modern musicology. 🎶 The author helped establish "New Musicology," an approach that examines music's cultural, social, and political contexts rather than focusing solely on its formal structures.